This entry contains the SNP data and sample information used in the publication: Pilot M., Moura ... more This entry contains the SNP data and sample information used in the publication: Pilot M., Moura A.E., Okhlopkov I.M., Mamaev N., Alagaili A.N., Mohammed O.B., Yavruyan E.G., Manaseryan N.H., Hayrapetyan V., Kopaliani N., Tsingarska E., Krofel M., Skoglund P., Bogdanowicz W. (2019). Global phylogeographic and admixture patterns in grey wolves and genetic legacy of an ancient Siberian lineage. Scientific Reports. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53492-9.
Habitat selection is a multi-scale process driven by trade-offs between benefits, such as resourc... more Habitat selection is a multi-scale process driven by trade-offs between benefits, such as resource abundance, and disadvantages, such as the avoidance of risk. The latter includes human disturbances, to which large carnivores, with their large spatial requirements, are especially sensitive. We investigated the ecological processes underlying multi-scale habitat selection of a large carnivore, namely Eurasian lynx, across European landscapes characterized by different levels of human modification. Using a unique dataset of 125 lynx from 9 study sites across Europe, we compared used and available locations within landscape and home-range scales using a novel Mixed Effect randomForest approach, while considering environmental predictors as proxies for human disturbances and environmental resources. At the landscape scale, lynx avoided roads and human settlements, while at the home-range scale natural landscape features associated with shelter and prey abundance were more important. The results showed sex was of relatively low variable importance for lynx's general habitat selection behaviour. We found increasingly homogeneous responses across study sites with finer selection scales, suggesting that study site differences determined coarse selection, while utilization of resources at the finer scale was broadly universal. Thereby describing lynx's requirement, if not preference, for heterogeneous forests and shelter from human disturbances and implying that regional differences in coarse-scale selection are driven by availability rather than preference. These results provide crucial information for conserving this species in human-dominated landscapes, as well as for the first time, to our knowledge, generalising habitat selection behaviour of a large carnivore species at a continental scale.
What would successful deer management look like in Scotland? To some, flourishing populations of ... more What would successful deer management look like in Scotland? To some, flourishing populations of native wild deer represent success. But to others, negative impacts such as damage to woodlands and peatlands, agricultural and forestry losses, deer-vehicle collisions, and facilitating Lyme disease spread represent failure. Conflicting interests and incentives among people involved in deer management mean a common definition of success, and therefore clear management targets, remain elusive. While some environmental groups urgently call for an increase in the number of deer culled (shot) each year, other stakeholders aim to maximize deer numbers. Overcoming this governance failure will require clearly articulated, scientifically valid, and socially acceptable socio-ecological objectives to be co-produced by a broad range of stakeholders. Systematic monitoring of deer impacts will also be needed to evaluate the ability of specific management interventions to achieve defined objectives. ...
Organisms face numerous environmental stressors, which can affect developmental precision, includ... more Organisms face numerous environmental stressors, which can affect developmental precision, including symmetry of various physical characteristics. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) has therefore been suggested as a simple and efficient tool for assessing sub-lethal stress levels. We analyzed FA in two sympatric lizard species (Iberolacerta horvathi and Podarcis muralis) to determine potential effects of interspecific competition and urbanization, as proxies of stress, taking into account sexual dimorphism and environmental conditions. We sampled 16 syntopic and allotopic populations and used geometric morphometrics of head morphology. We detected significant but mixed effects on the head asymmetry from the environment and the syntopic occurrence that differed between species. P. muralis lizards had more asymmetric heads at higher altitudes, while I. horvathi lizards did at mid altitudes, which may be explained by P. muralis experiencing environmental stress of colder conditions at higher a...
Kill rates of predators typically increase when they come into contact with naive and abundant pr... more Kill rates of predators typically increase when they come into contact with naive and abundant prey. Such a situation can lead to surplus killing or the occurrence of parallel kills (i.e. additional kills that predator makes while still consuming the carcass from the previous kill). However, there is limited information on the feeding behaviour of predators during such events and how they affect kill rates. Here we report on hunting and feeding behaviour of a male Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) that dispersed into a region where this apex predator had been absent for several decades. We also report on the kleptoparasitism by wild boar (Sus scrofa), which effects on lynx prey consumption have not yet been explored. We found 66 ungulates killed by the lynx, among which 39% were part of parallel kills. Compared to the single kills, lynx fed on parallel kills for 2.7-times longer, while the kill rate was 37% higher, resulting in one of the highest kill rates reported so far for male lynx in Europe. We did not detect differences in search times following single or parallel kills and the average distance between consecutive kills was similar in both kill types. We also recorded the highest kleptoparasitism rate by dominant scavengers on Eurasian lynx, as 48% of kills were usurped and consumed by the wild boars. Kleptoparasitism reduced the average time lynx was able to feed on prey for 52% compared to kills not found by wild boars. However, the lynx did not compensate for these losses by increasing the hunting effort, probably due to abundant naive prey available in the area.
Genetically identifi ed kinship relationships enable us valuable insight into wild animal pedigre... more Genetically identifi ed kinship relationships enable us valuable insight into wild animal pedigrees, which are almost impossible to reconstruct by direct observations. Data on pedigrees are of fundamental importance for analysis of reproductive success, inbreeding, selection and gene fl ow. Dinaric Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) includes animals from Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Th e species is strictly protected in all three countries, being threatened by loss of genetic diversity and poaching. Kinship analysis of 91 genotypes, on 19 microsatellite loci, using program Colony provided data about family groups with off spring sharing one or both parents. A total of 21 (72 %) out of 29 analyzed off spring, whose samples were collected in the 2000–2010 period, were related to each other, confi rming low population number and presence of inbreeding.
Top-down suppression by apex predators can limit the abundance and spatial distribution of mesopr... more Top-down suppression by apex predators can limit the abundance and spatial distribution of mesopredators. However, this phenomenon has not been studied over long time periods in human-dominated landscapes, where the strength of this process might be limited. Here, we used a multi-scale approach to analyse interactions between two canids in the human-dominated landscapes of Europe. We tested the hypothesis that the range expansion of golden jackals ( Canis aureus ) was triggered by intensive persecution and resulting decline of the apex predator, the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ). To do so, we (1) reviewed literature to reconstruct the historic changes in the distribution and abundance of the two canid species on the continental scale, (2) analysed hunting data patterns for both species in Bulgaria and Serbia, and (3) surveyed jackal persistence in eight study areas that became re-colonized by territorial wolves. The observed trends were generally consistent with the predictions of the m...
This entry contains the SNP data and sample information used in the publication: Pilot M., Moura ... more This entry contains the SNP data and sample information used in the publication: Pilot M., Moura A.E., Okhlopkov I.M., Mamaev N., Alagaili A.N., Mohammed O.B., Yavruyan E.G., Manaseryan N.H., Hayrapetyan V., Kopaliani N., Tsingarska E., Krofel M., Skoglund P., Bogdanowicz W. (2019). Global phylogeographic and admixture patterns in grey wolves and genetic legacy of an ancient Siberian lineage. Scientific Reports. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53492-9.
Habitat selection is a multi-scale process driven by trade-offs between benefits, such as resourc... more Habitat selection is a multi-scale process driven by trade-offs between benefits, such as resource abundance, and disadvantages, such as the avoidance of risk. The latter includes human disturbances, to which large carnivores, with their large spatial requirements, are especially sensitive. We investigated the ecological processes underlying multi-scale habitat selection of a large carnivore, namely Eurasian lynx, across European landscapes characterized by different levels of human modification. Using a unique dataset of 125 lynx from 9 study sites across Europe, we compared used and available locations within landscape and home-range scales using a novel Mixed Effect randomForest approach, while considering environmental predictors as proxies for human disturbances and environmental resources. At the landscape scale, lynx avoided roads and human settlements, while at the home-range scale natural landscape features associated with shelter and prey abundance were more important. The results showed sex was of relatively low variable importance for lynx's general habitat selection behaviour. We found increasingly homogeneous responses across study sites with finer selection scales, suggesting that study site differences determined coarse selection, while utilization of resources at the finer scale was broadly universal. Thereby describing lynx's requirement, if not preference, for heterogeneous forests and shelter from human disturbances and implying that regional differences in coarse-scale selection are driven by availability rather than preference. These results provide crucial information for conserving this species in human-dominated landscapes, as well as for the first time, to our knowledge, generalising habitat selection behaviour of a large carnivore species at a continental scale.
What would successful deer management look like in Scotland? To some, flourishing populations of ... more What would successful deer management look like in Scotland? To some, flourishing populations of native wild deer represent success. But to others, negative impacts such as damage to woodlands and peatlands, agricultural and forestry losses, deer-vehicle collisions, and facilitating Lyme disease spread represent failure. Conflicting interests and incentives among people involved in deer management mean a common definition of success, and therefore clear management targets, remain elusive. While some environmental groups urgently call for an increase in the number of deer culled (shot) each year, other stakeholders aim to maximize deer numbers. Overcoming this governance failure will require clearly articulated, scientifically valid, and socially acceptable socio-ecological objectives to be co-produced by a broad range of stakeholders. Systematic monitoring of deer impacts will also be needed to evaluate the ability of specific management interventions to achieve defined objectives. ...
Organisms face numerous environmental stressors, which can affect developmental precision, includ... more Organisms face numerous environmental stressors, which can affect developmental precision, including symmetry of various physical characteristics. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) has therefore been suggested as a simple and efficient tool for assessing sub-lethal stress levels. We analyzed FA in two sympatric lizard species (Iberolacerta horvathi and Podarcis muralis) to determine potential effects of interspecific competition and urbanization, as proxies of stress, taking into account sexual dimorphism and environmental conditions. We sampled 16 syntopic and allotopic populations and used geometric morphometrics of head morphology. We detected significant but mixed effects on the head asymmetry from the environment and the syntopic occurrence that differed between species. P. muralis lizards had more asymmetric heads at higher altitudes, while I. horvathi lizards did at mid altitudes, which may be explained by P. muralis experiencing environmental stress of colder conditions at higher a...
Kill rates of predators typically increase when they come into contact with naive and abundant pr... more Kill rates of predators typically increase when they come into contact with naive and abundant prey. Such a situation can lead to surplus killing or the occurrence of parallel kills (i.e. additional kills that predator makes while still consuming the carcass from the previous kill). However, there is limited information on the feeding behaviour of predators during such events and how they affect kill rates. Here we report on hunting and feeding behaviour of a male Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) that dispersed into a region where this apex predator had been absent for several decades. We also report on the kleptoparasitism by wild boar (Sus scrofa), which effects on lynx prey consumption have not yet been explored. We found 66 ungulates killed by the lynx, among which 39% were part of parallel kills. Compared to the single kills, lynx fed on parallel kills for 2.7-times longer, while the kill rate was 37% higher, resulting in one of the highest kill rates reported so far for male lynx in Europe. We did not detect differences in search times following single or parallel kills and the average distance between consecutive kills was similar in both kill types. We also recorded the highest kleptoparasitism rate by dominant scavengers on Eurasian lynx, as 48% of kills were usurped and consumed by the wild boars. Kleptoparasitism reduced the average time lynx was able to feed on prey for 52% compared to kills not found by wild boars. However, the lynx did not compensate for these losses by increasing the hunting effort, probably due to abundant naive prey available in the area.
Genetically identifi ed kinship relationships enable us valuable insight into wild animal pedigre... more Genetically identifi ed kinship relationships enable us valuable insight into wild animal pedigrees, which are almost impossible to reconstruct by direct observations. Data on pedigrees are of fundamental importance for analysis of reproductive success, inbreeding, selection and gene fl ow. Dinaric Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) includes animals from Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Th e species is strictly protected in all three countries, being threatened by loss of genetic diversity and poaching. Kinship analysis of 91 genotypes, on 19 microsatellite loci, using program Colony provided data about family groups with off spring sharing one or both parents. A total of 21 (72 %) out of 29 analyzed off spring, whose samples were collected in the 2000–2010 period, were related to each other, confi rming low population number and presence of inbreeding.
Top-down suppression by apex predators can limit the abundance and spatial distribution of mesopr... more Top-down suppression by apex predators can limit the abundance and spatial distribution of mesopredators. However, this phenomenon has not been studied over long time periods in human-dominated landscapes, where the strength of this process might be limited. Here, we used a multi-scale approach to analyse interactions between two canids in the human-dominated landscapes of Europe. We tested the hypothesis that the range expansion of golden jackals ( Canis aureus ) was triggered by intensive persecution and resulting decline of the apex predator, the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ). To do so, we (1) reviewed literature to reconstruct the historic changes in the distribution and abundance of the two canid species on the continental scale, (2) analysed hunting data patterns for both species in Bulgaria and Serbia, and (3) surveyed jackal persistence in eight study areas that became re-colonized by territorial wolves. The observed trends were generally consistent with the predictions of the m...
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